{"product_id":"book-of-legendary-spells","title":"Book of Legendary Spells","description":"\u003ch3 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\"Page for page this book probably contains more occult secrets than any other...\"\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSo declares Elbee Wright in the Foreword to this remarkable compendium of magical rites, supernatural practices, and esoteric lore. And with 225 pages devoted to spells, charms, incantations, and rituals of every imaginable purpose, the boast seems almost plausible\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDrawing upon medieval grimoires, folklore, and the magical traditions of numerous cultures and historical periods, Wright invites his readers on what he calls a \"voyage into the unknown.\" His interests are decidedly practical: not simply the history of magic, but its purported mechanics, its implements, its ceremonies, and the extraordinary range of human desires to which it has been applied.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe book's list of General Contents promise spells for love, money, power, protection, good health, long life, good fortune, and success, alongside more sinister or peculiar undertakings: the casting and removal of curses, the banishment of demons, the summoning of spirits, necromancy, the making of wax images, the defeat of enemies, and the creation of familiars. There are spells to find treasure, prevent arthritis, become pregnant, stop love affairs, ward off the evil eye, and improve one's luck at gambling. Few human anxieties or ambitions appear to have escaped the attentions of the spellcaster.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe publisher's back-cover copy is appropriately breathless:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA fantastic book never before available. Actual step-by-step rituals of White Magic, Black Magic, Voodoo, Witchcraft. [sic] Ceremonial Magic, etc. are shown in exact detail.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWright himself adopts a more circumspect position, acknowledging the uncertainty of his sources and the difficulty of tracing legends through centuries of cultural borrowing. He concludes his Foreword with a distinction between the believer's and the skeptic's understanding of magic:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTo the person who believes in supernatural magic, the end result of passive or active application of that belief constitutes a spell. To the disbeliever, all such magic is an illusion and superstition.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhatever one's disposition toward the supernatural, this is an alluring specimen of vintage occult publishing: part folkloric miscellany, part practical handbook, and part testament to the persistent human hope that the mysterious forces of the universe might, with the right words and preparations, be persuaded to cooperate.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBibliographic details\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Elbee Wright\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Marlar Publishing Co., Minneapolis, Minnesota\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eYear:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e 1974, twenty-first printing\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLength:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e 225 pages\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFormat:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Softcover; black-and-white interior illustrations and text\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCondition:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Good to Very Good. Some shelf wear to the covers, without tears or creases. Pages are clean and appear unmarked.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAn appealing vintage volume for collectors of occult literature, students of folklore and esoterica, and anyone curious about the remarkably various things for which our predecessors have sought supernatural assistance.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bonfire Bookshop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67774420615342,"sku":"20230192CA","price":75.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/0679\/0574\/files\/900_e70c35a7-9068-4b68-b7c7-9f81551b6fd9.jpg?v=1792787353","url":"https:\/\/bonfirebookshop.com\/products\/book-of-legendary-spells","provider":"Bonfire Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}